VOA标准英语2012--Violin Maker Keeps Family Tradition Alive

Violin Maker Keeps Family Tradition Alive These are the tools that I inherited from my grandfather, he says while making his second violin from scratch at his home. Some of them came from my great-great-grandfathers workshop as well. He says violins

VOA标准英语2012--Slow Progress on Curbing Deforestation Expected at Climate Conference

Slow Progress on Curbing Deforestation Expected at Climate Conference In Indonesia, a moratorium on new forest development appears to have little effect as farmers and large companies continue cutting down trees for timber, then burning off the land

VOA标准英语2012--Obama Appeals to Public About 'Fiscal Cliff'

Obama Appeals to Public About 'Fiscal Cliff' Obama took his campaign to a toy factory near Philadelphia on Friday, asking middle-class workers and business leaders to press Republican lawmakers to pass his tax plan. And if we could just get a few Hou

VOA标准英语2012--Astronauts Criticize US Space Program

Astronauts Criticize US Space Program Retired Astronaut Eugene Cernan is one of just twelve men who walked on the moon. He currently holds the distinction of being the last man there. It is tremendously disappointing that I am here 40 years later and

VOA标准英语2012--Violence Forces Burmese Muslims Out of Kyaukphyu

Violence Forces Burmese Muslims Out of Kyaukphyu Little is left of this once vibrant Muslim fishing village. A month after fires leveled the community, those who once lived here are now part of the more than 100,000 displaced in Rakhine state still t

VOA标准英语2012--Soweto Shows Uneven Development After 18 Years of Democracy

Soweto Shows Uneven Development After 18 Years of Democracy Tourists cycling fearlessly in Soweto are finishing up a historical tour in one of the world's most famous townships, where they are taught about life during white-minority rule, known as ap

VOA标准英语2012--Nigeria Sees Bloodiest Year of Boko Haram Attacks

Nigeria Sees Bloodiest Year of Boko Haram Attacks The building was the office of ThisDay, a prominent Nigerian newspaper. While a suicide bomber rammed a car into the building, an accomplice stood by with a camera, later posting the destruction on Yo

VOA标准英语2012--Afghanistan's Neighbors Prepare For Post-2014

Afghanistan's Neighbors Prepare For Post-2014 The Afghan army has been preparing to take over the countrys security as NATOs 2014 deadline to withdraw all combat troops moves a year closer. But even with 300,000 national security forces now hired, Af

VOA标准英语2012--Malaria Programs at Risk From Funding Cuts

Malaria Programs at Risk From Funding Cuts Ami Diabate, has brought her three children to a rural clinic to get the latest anti-malarial drugs. The aid agency Mdecins Sans Frontires - or Doctors Without Borders - is rolling out the pilot program acro

VOA标准英语2012--Health Experts Ask for New Funds for Mental Health Programs

Health Experts Ask for New Funds for Mental Health Programs In recent years, the U.S. has been racked by a number of mass shootings. In Tuscon in 2011, Jared Loughner opened fire outside a grocery store, killing six people, injuring 13. Then-Congress

VOA标准英语2012--Around the World, 2012 Holiday Shopping is Subdued

Around the World, 2012 Holiday Shopping is Subdued At U.S. shopping centers, parking lots were full - as thousands of last minute shoppers descended into crowded malls. But the big crowds mask larger concerns. Consumer confidence has fallen to a 6-mo

VOA标准英语2012--Thai Migrant Worker Process Flawed, Awareness Low

Thai Migrant Worker Process Flawed, Awareness Low Hnin Hnin Win has worked in Thailand since she was 15 and has been cheated three times by past employers. They charged her altogether $1,000 for work permits she never received and then terminated her

VOA标准英语2012--Analysts Note Serious Problems in Egyptian Constitution

Analysts Note Serious Problems in Egyptian Constitution Egyptians waited patiently to vote on their new constitution. But the lengthy document is fraught with contradictions. It guarantees many freedoms. But it also limits them. Among the examples, i

VOA标准英语2012--New Indian Law Takes Aim at Curbing Child Abuse

New Indian Law Takes Aim at Curbing Child Abuse This woman - who asked not to be identified -- says her sisters husband started sexually abusing her when she was nine years old. She eventually told her parents, but they did nothing. She says going to

VOA标准英语2012--Burma's Ex-Political Prisoners Face Challenges

Burma's Ex-Political Prisoners Face Challenges In Burma's main city, progress edges forward slowly as economic development and political reform take shape. But while many foreign businesses have been quick to forget Burma's troubled past, many reside

VOA标准英语2012--Can US Win its War on Drugs?

Can US Win its War on Drugs? Anthony Papa spent 12 years in prison for attempting to deliver 125 grams of cocaine, his first and only try. His profit would have been $500. Although he discovered his talent for art behind bars, others suffered. I was

VOA标准英语2012--Ugandan Children Perform to Raise Awareness for Orphans

Ugandan Children Perform to Raise Awareness for Orphans Their dances are joyful. Their voices raise awareness about the orphaned children in Uganda. With vibrant African music, the Watoto Childrens Choir guides audiences through their life-transformi

VOA标准英语2012--Report: Ecosystems More Stressed Than Ever

Report: Ecosystems More Stressed Than Ever When Super Storm Sandy ravaged the U.S. East Coast and inundated New York City in late October, many wondered if such extreme weather events might be linked to climate change, the gradual warming of the plan

VOA标准英语2012--University Plans To Demolish Ronald Reagan’s Chicago Apartment

University Plans To Demolish Ronald Reagans Chicago Apartment Former U.S. president Ronald Reagan spent much of his life in California, but residents in the Midwestern state of Illinois note proudly that he was born and raised there. He spent a brief

VOA标准英语2012--'The Impossible' Revisits Devastating 2004 Tsunami

'The Impossible' Revisits Devastating 2004 Tsunami Juan Antonio Bayona's cinematic rendition of the gargantuan wave crushing everything in its path is neither entertaining nor escapist. It's a reminder of that horrific moment in 2004, the day after C